


Battle Cry

by Reed_Zone_Alert (Eliza_Reed)



Series: Smoke + Mirrors [1]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Aliens are fun, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Time Travel, And yes there will be aliens, Howard Stark's Bad Parenting, Kinda, Post-Avengers: Endgame (Movie), Tags Are Fun, Tags May Change, There might be a Flerken, Time Travel, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark Lives, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, You'll meet the other alien eventually
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-16
Updated: 2020-08-23
Packaged: 2021-03-05 23:34:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,817
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25933714
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eliza_Reed/pseuds/Reed_Zone_Alert
Summary: "'Howard Potts,'" Howard addressed back, his tone skeptical. "I honestly didn't think I'd see you again- let alone here… or wearing… whatever it is you're wearing.""I'm dead, aren't I?" Tony asked, looking away and instead taking in the room a second time. "Helheim looks a lot better than what Thor described," the inventor muttered to himself."'Helheim?'" Howard repeated incredulously. "'Thor?' Hmm, you must've hit your head a lot harder than I thought."~ ~ ~ ~ ~Previously titled "The Chain" ~*~*~ On temporary hiatus
Relationships: Howard Stark & Stephen Strange, Howard Stark & Tony Stark, Howard Stark/Maria Stark, Maria Stark & Stephen Strange, Maria Stark & Tony Stark, Tony Stark & Stephen Strange
Series: Smoke + Mirrors [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1893904
Comments: 23
Kudos: 98





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> There's still some stuff about the MCU I don't know about, so if there are any inconsistencies, sorry in advance. 😹😹😹😹 Anyways- constructive criticism is appreciated, flames are not!

_"I am inevitable."_

_Tony Stark glared up at Thanos, his eyes narrowed, armoured hand poised and ready to snap. "And I- am- Iron Man," Tony growled in response, before snapping his fingers._

The next thing the inventor remembered is pain. Scalding hot pain. And then said pain quickly becoming more and more dull as the life faded from his body. Then… nothing. For long time there, there was nothing. No light, not even darkness- just _nothing._ The next thing Tony recalled is his body tearing through trees and shrubbery violently as his suit's thrusters sputtered and left him flying through the air, completely out of control- before crashing into a hillside, skidding across the dirt and rocks before coming to a not-so-smooth stop as his body smacked the side of a large boulder. Tony struggled to get back up onto his feet, but his legs gave out from underneath him and he instead tumbled into a nearby shrub. Disoriented, and vision blurred to the point where he might as well be blind, Tony struggled to claw his way out of the brush. The branched were tangled about his limbs, effectively inhibiting his movements.

The inventor whipped his arm left and right, trying to tear it free. The branches snapped, and his arm came loose- at the same time, he was tipped forward from the momentum as he flailed about blindly, and wound up tumbling down the side of the hill.

The side of Tony's head smacked a rock on the way down, and everything faded to black.

* * *

Sometime later, Tony jerked awake, eyes wide and body tense. He still had his armour on, thank god- and his eyesight was more or less clear again, which was definitely a plus in his book. His head was pounding, and it felt as if someone had it it over and over again with a giant hammer. But at the moment, there was little Tony could do about it- save for trying to ignore it. As he slowly rose into a sitting position, he realised that he had apparently been lying on someone's couch. "How…?" The inventor's heart stopped as he did a double take and stared at the couch again. He knew this couch. Tony lifted his gaze and let it trail across the room. He knew this living room too. A familiar tuxedo feline trotted into said room, purring softly, her tail swishing left and right as she looked up at the human with bright yellow and blue eyes. Tony reached down and settled his hand on the cat's back, gently stroking her fur. The kitty turned her head and gave his metal gauntlet a lick, then looked back up at him with a befuddled expression.

"Hmm, she usually doesn't take to strangers so easily," a nearby, terribly familiar voice observed.

Tony was up on his feet in a flash, whirling around to face the source. His armoured gauntlet was raised, the palm's repulsor node charging up quickly with a rising hum. In that split-second, he recognised the face standing before him, and in a flash he lowered his hand, shutting off the node before it could blast anything. "Howard Stark," he said quietly.

"'Howard Potts,'" Howard addressed back, his tone skeptical. "I honestly didn't think I'd see you again- let alone here… or wearing… whatever it is you're wearing."

"I'm dead, aren't I?" Tony asked, looking away and instead taking in the room a second time. "Helheim looks a lot better than what Thor described," the inventor muttered to himself.

"'Helheim?'" Howard repeated incredulously. "'Thor?' Hmm, you must've hit your head a lot harder than I thought."

"Sooo, this _isn't_ Helheim then?"

Howard looked at Tony with an unreadable expression. "No... hmm, maybe I should've taken you to the hospital like Maria suggested." Tony's body stiffened at the mention of Maria. His mother. Or was she his mother?? After his encounter with Howard when he went to steal the Tesseract, he wasn't so sure. "Ten years..." Howard muttered. "And you don't look like you've aged a day."

 _That's because I haven't,_ Tony thought. Then again, he didn't know how long exactly he had been unconscious. _But if I'm not dead... he said ten years... but... that's- I should be dead._ And that was the problem- he _wasn't_ dead. "What year is it?" the inventor asked. He knew the answer. He just wanted Howard to confirm it.

"Nineteen-eighty," Howard told him.

_I am inevitable._

_And I- am- Iron Man._

"This is wrong," Tony said instantly, finally meeting Howard's currently stony gaze. "I shouldn't be here." His mouth felt dry as the words rolled off his tongue. But it was the truth, right? He wasn't supposed to be here. "I should be dead." Tony felt a surge of panic and lifted his right hand, turning it around to see the back. The metal was gnarled and twisted, blackened from the massive amount of energy it had been exposed to by the Infinity Stones. On the back were six blackened lumps, mere shells of what they once were.

But Tony could still feel a small remnant of the energy they once housed tingling in his body.

Or maybe he was just dehydrated. "Why didn't you just take me to SHIELD?" Tony asked, once more looking at Howard. "Dump me in their laps, and let them deal with me as they saw fit- and never let me cross your mind again?"

"It felt... _wrong,"_ Howard explained, and for the first time ever, Tony saw an almost... vulnerable expression on the other man's face. "And besides, Maria wouldn't let me. I think... I think she felt it too." The inventor's face hardened once more. "Who are you? Really?"

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you," Tony scoffed, turning away and starting to fiddle with his armour. "Uhmm, can you give me a little privacy- just for a minute or two? I really need to get this off-" He had to get it off- for one thing, he was hot and sweaty as heck, and two, he needed to find a safe place to put the suit. Preferably somewhere where Howard wouldn't find it. Which also meant that he had to get Howard to let him go.

Thankfully, Howard stepped out of the living room without arguing. Which was surprising. Not that Tony was complaining.

Most of the armour came off easily. Tony's clothes underneath were bogged down with sweat, of course. The hard part came when he tried to remove the last piece of armour- the gauntlet on his right hand. The skin underneath had been practically cooked to the inside of the gauntlet- which meant Tony couldn't remove the blasted thing without taking what was left of his skin with it, and then bleeding out all over the floor.

"I'm done," Tony called, and Howard- who had been hanging around the corner- walked back in.

"Now will you answer my question?" Howard asked.

"Hmm, let me think," Tony responded in a sarcastic tone as he gathered up the parts of his armour and stuffed them into a blanket-turned-makeshift-bag that had been laid out on the couch. "I think _no._ _"_ Tony turned around to face Howard, hoisting the bag over his shoulder. "Now if you'll excuse me-"

As Tony made towards the living room's exit, Howard pulled out his handgun and pointed it at the inventor. "You're not going anywhere."

Tony turned around, rolling his eyes. _Of course._


	2. Chapter 2

Tony huffed- his father was always a stubborn man. And it wasn't like he could blame the guy. If their roles were reversed, Tony would be awfully suspicious too. After all, it wasn't as if this was an everyday occurrence for Howard. Granted, Howard had no doubt seen a lot of crazy stuff in his life (that's what you get if you pick SHIELD out of all the thousands of other career choices out there), but nothing like this. Definitely nothing like this. Tony regarded Howard with a tired look. He had to somehow convince his father to let him go. If Howard found out even an inkling of the truth, who knew what effects it could have on the multiverse. Tony didn't just risk his life to save the multiverse from Thanos only to put it back in jeopardy.

"Now answer my question," Howard told him firmly, not lowering the pistol. "Who are you?... Your name _isn't_ 'Howard Potts,' is it?"

"Nope, but my real name's not up for grabs either," Tony snarked. "And as much as I'd _'love'_ to continue this interrogation, I'm afraid I'm gonna have to be lea-" Before he could finish his sentence, the sound of the front door down the hall opening interrupted.

"I'm home!" an all too familiar voice called out. The voice of none other than Tony Stark's child self.

"Sh-!" Howard quickly grabbed Tony by the arm and forcefully dragged him out of the living room and down the stairs to the lab, his other hand poised with the handgun pointed at the other scientist's back. He locked the door securely behind them and turned his gaze on the man beside him, whose arm he still had locked in a death grip. "That should keep the boy ou- wait- what- what's wrong with you-"

Tony's eyes were lightly glazed over and his body was shuddering uncontrollably with each breath. The blanket holding his armour slipped from his fingers and crashed to the floor in a heap, some of the metal pieces flying out and scattering across the hard surface, clattering loudly.

Sparking yellow-green energy that popped out of nowhere wrapped around where Howard's hand met Tony's arm. And in his head Howard heard voices that were not his own, seeing through a pair of eyes that were not his own.

_You throw another moon at me, and I'm gonna to lose it._

_Stark._

_You know me?_

_I do. You're not the only one cursed with knowledge._

_My only curse is_ you _._

A lifetime of pain and suffering flooded Howard's consciousness. His _son's_ pain and suffering. The lime-colored energy dissipated, vanishing into thin air. The man released Tony's arm and the latter fell to his knees, gasping for breath. Meanwhile, Howard was frozen, desperately trying to comprehend everything he just saw. Fifty-three years of his own son's life had just flashed before his eyes in less than a fifth of a second.

As for Tony, he had shuffled around to where his back and his head were resting limp against the nearby wall. Tears slowly rolled down his face. Whatever had just happened, it had caused him to relive it all over again. Howard was the first to break the silence after it stretched out for some time. "Tony…?"

_You could have saved us… why didn't you do more?_

"Missed you too, Dad," Tony finally said, his tone harsh and biting. His eyes, although having cleared up a bit, still held a lot of glaze. "Enjoy the show? Mmm, lots of angst for sure, but I'll bet it wasn't any less entertaining. Well, except for the part where you and mom died… where you were killed-" His voice cracked at the words, and his vision started to blur. "… Surprised the multiverse didn't collapse in on itself or something… guess fate's got other plans for me. Or whatever… _indifferent entity_ is in control of everything…" Tony's eyes slid shut, and his body slumped a bit to the side as consciousness left him.

* * *

_An hour or so later…_

Howard had moved the unconscious Tony onto the rickety old cot in the corner of the room. Since he had nothing else to do at the moment, the scientist got started on drawing up plans for an analyzer. This man couldn't be his son. It was just not _possible._ But then again, this wasn't Howard's first encounter with the impossible, he realises as he thinks back to Captain America, and the years following when he studied the Tesseract.

That is until a certain Doctor Wendy Lawson took over the whole operation last year.

Howard shook his head. He wasn't even going to let his thoughts go down _that_ road again. He resumed his sketching, the thin streaks of pencil lead quickly starting to take form on the cream-coloured paper.

Several minutes passed by without interruption. And then Howard caught the sound of a soft whimper emanating from the cot in the corner. He lifted his head up and saw Tony had rolled over in his sleep. The man's face was creased a bit, and his hands were clenched in fists.

Howard looked back down at his paper and tried to focus.

* * *

_2023- New York Sanctum…_

Stephen Strange sped-walked into the Sanctum and right past Wong, not even offering a hello as he headed right for the library. "Stephen?" Wong looked after the other man in puzzlement. The sorcerer didn't even seem to acknowledge his presence. Wong followed Stephen into the library and watched as the other man started to frantically tear books out of the bookcase, giving each one a quick glance before tossing it down on the table behind him. "Stephen?"

"I have to find him, Wong," was all Stephen said, not even halting his strange (pun intended) proceedings.

"You were dead for five years," Wong said listlessly. "Five _years._ And now, you return from the dead and the first thing you do is _destroy_ the library. _My_ library."

"Look, I don't have a lot of time," Stephen told him, still searching the books for whatever he was looking for. "Do we have any books on casting spells to protect one's self within the Quantum Realm?"

"The Quantum Realm?" Wong couldn't believe his ears. But then again, this wasn't exactly the oddest thing he's ever had to deal with. "Yes, we do… but why-"

"There's… something I need to find," Stephen replied, finally ceasing his frantic search and turning to face the other sorcerer. "Or, to be more accurate: _someone_. I have to find him before…"

"Before…?"

"Before it's too late for him. Before there's nothing left of him to save."

Wong still wasn't sure exactly what was going on, but he could see the hardened seriousness in Stephen's face. And he knew that whatever he was trying to do, it was important. "Follow me."

"Thank you, Wong," Stephen said, offering the other man a tiny hint of a smile.

"If you want to thank me, then do it by coming back in one piece."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter kinda sucked... also I didn't think I was gonna be bringing in Doctor Strange so soon, but I love him so yeah. I'll try to make the next chapter better though....


	3. Chapter 3

_1970- Howard Stark's Lab…_

Several days had passed since Tony's arrival. In a little over half that time, Howard had managed to build a scanning device that appeared to verify his son's identity. The man still wasn't wholly convinced, but it wasn't as if there was much more he could do to make absolutely one hundred percent sure. The remaining half of that time Howard and Tony had spent working together making plans on constructing a gateway to the Quantum Realm so that he (Tony) could get back to his time. Which- considering how much less advanced the tech of the 1970s was- wasn't going to be easy.

Once they had come up with a satisfactory set of blueprints, Tony quickly set about building an arc reactor to power the thing. It was going to be quite a bit bigger than the one he used to have in his chest, but not as large as the monstrosity that his father first constructed. He stuck to his own corner of the lab, only speaking to Howard when he needed something. So more often than not, the room was uncomfortably silent- the only sounds being the intermittent clanks and whirring of tools.

Meanwhile, Howard started working on trying to build the section of the device that would open a portal to their desired destination.

Tony stayed in the lab pretty much the whole time- he'd already made a mess of this new alternate timeline as it was. He didn't need to butcher it further. So after having had meals with his family, Howard would bring Tony food from upstairs. It also helped that there was a bathroom down there.

For the most part, Tony managed working on the arc reactor himself just fine. The pain in his right hand was most certainly excruciating- even just moving his fingers a little sent tendrils of searing hot pain throughout his hand and even his arm. There were times though that the pain was just too much and he needed Howard's help. But Tony tried not to ask for his help too much.

Mostly because of Tony's own ego. At least, that's what he told himself. Deep down he knew the real reason, and simply refused to acknowledge it.

"So," Howard spoke up at one point while the two of them were working. Tony looked up from the arc reactor sitting on the floor in front of him and settled his gaze on his father. "You have a wife? And a daughter?"

Tony stiffened. His father- his _father_ \- was taking an _interest?_ In him? In his life? _I must have stuff in my ears or something,_ Tony thought. _There's no way he'd- yeah, there's just no frickin' way._ "Uh, yeah- Pepper and Morgan…" He smiled to himself as his thoughts turned to them. "Little Squirt," Tony murmured, remembering that one night- the night in which he had figured out time travel.

_Morgan, sitting on the bottom stair across the room, had just repeated Tony's semi-quiet expletive. "What are you doing up, little mess?" Tony asked, trying not to smile as he moved over to where she was. He sat down beside her on the step._

_Morgan, smiling happily, repeated the word again- as if it were a perfectly normal response to the question put to her._

_"No, we don't say that," Tony told her, now smiling despite himself. "Only Mommy says that word. She coined it, it belongs to her."_

_"Why you up?" Morgan asked, still smiling. Her smile was so precious… Tony wanted to see that smile on his daughter's face again._

_"'Cause I got some important s*** going on here." Morgan looked at Tony incredulously, but he went on before she could say anything. "What do you think? No, I got something on my mind. I got something on my mind."_

_"Was it Juice Pops?"_

_"Sure was," Tony replied with some amusement. "That's extortion. Great minds think alike. Juice Pops, exactly what was on… my mind."_

He missed her so much.

He had to get back. He had to get back home.

"Earth to Stark, Earth to Stark," Howard called to Tony, startling the other man out of his thoughts.

Tony gave his father a glare. "Thank you, Dad, for bringing me back outta a happy memory," he snarked sarcastically. Without sparing the man so much as another glance, he dove back into work, allowing his thoughts to melt comfortably into the safety of work.

"You're welcome," Howard retorted, turning round and going back to his own devices.

* * *

_2023- The New York Sanctum..._

Stephen Strange stepped through the Sling Ring portal, leaving the Sanctum behind him and entering the Quantum Realm. He prayed silently to Vishanti over and over that the spell would hold, that he'd make it to the vortex before the aforementioned spell timed out. The realm stretched out around the sorcerer, the ground- or whatever it was underneath his feet- seemingly endless, and twisted, towering things of the same material curling up into the "sky". There were colours- so many colours... The Cloak of Levitation lifted Stephen up off the ground and carried him through the air.

Already Stephen was struggling to breathe, and he was starting to feel the effects of the realm seeping through his protection spell. _This was a bad idea,_ Stephen thought. He shouldn't have gone on alone. But he didn't want to drag Wong into this mess. The mess Stephen was responsible for. _Cut off one head, and two more grow in its place._ That was true for HYDRA, but even more so for evil in general. It was an endless cycle.

A time loop.

Stephen shivered at that last thought. He still had nightmares of his battle with Dormammu.

_Dormammu, I've come to bargain._

And it didn't just plague him at night. The memory sometimes sunk its claws into him during the day, shredding his soul whenever it was least expected. Leaving him curled up on the floor in some shadowed corner, gasping for air and clawing with his fingernails at anyone who dared come close to him in that state.

The Cloak jerked, and then both them and Stephen crash-landed onto the ground below, skidding and rolling across it for a couple of metres before finally slowing to a stop. And Stephen realised in that moment exactly what had happened. The protection spell had broken for the Cloak. And that meant Stephen's would break any second now.

He reached for the relic, who had torn themself away from their master and now was shuddering in terror. "Shh," Stephen said softly, hoping he could calm them down. "It's okay. You're okay. Whatever you're seeing, it's not real. It's not real. Stay with me. Stay with me."

The Cloak shuddered again.

Stephen felt his protection spell break. _What was I thinking?_ he thought as the Quantum Realm unleashed the first round of terrors upon him. Ghosts surrounded him on all sides, snarling his name in hate. Stephen closed his eyes, trying to shut them out. "We need to get out of here- now-" He fumbled for the Cloak and snagged one corner with his hand. "Stay with me- we'll get out of this-" He pulled the velvety relic along behind him as he stumbled towards where the vortex should be. His eyesight was no longer an option, so he tried to "see" by reaching out with his magic. It was a difficult spell to master, even for him, and he still needed much practice. But right now he needed it more than ever.

"Stay with me," Stephen murmured over and over to the Cloak, is if it were his mantra.

_It's the Wi-Fi password. We are not savages._

The ghosts' voices grew louder and louder, each rising with volume so as to be heard over the others. Stephen fell to his knees a few feet or so from the vortex. He could feel his body already starting to grow cold. The Cloak, still shuddering, wrapped themself around his shoulders. They nudged him with a corner as if to say, _"We're almost there. Just a little farther."_ Stephen crumpled forward and sprawled onto the ground front-first, quickly losing consciousness.

The Cloak realised that it was up to them to get the both of them to safety. So they shut out the terrible images and sounds as best they could and pulled Stephen towards the vortex.

_Three feet... two... one... zero._


End file.
